Crater Lake, Oregon

It is a caldera ( a crater formed by volcanic explosion or by collapse of a volcanic cone.) With a diameter of 6.1 miles East to West and 4.7 miles North to South, an area of 20.42 sq miles, it is one of the deepest in the United States with a height of 1943 feet and holding 4.9 trillion gallons of water. Crater Lake was formed when a massive eruption of Mount Mazama 7700 years ago caused the mountain to collapse, leaving a steaming caldera. Centuries of rain and snow filled the caldera creating Crater Lake.

Overlooking Crater Lake

The views of Crater Lake are beautiful. A dormant volcano with water in its prettiest intense blue shade. The blue of Crater Lake is due to its great depth and clarity. Sunlight is able to penetrate deep into the water. The depth absorbs many of the longer rays and reflecting the shorter rays of the white light spectrum. Violet and blue light are the shortest wavelengths, thus get scattered and reflected back to us, causing the lake to be its famous color Blue!. 

Crater Lake

With very heavy snowfall, the seasonal roads to Crater Lake can close very early in the year since they get about 44 feet  \ 533 inches of snow. Checking current conditions will help you plan your weekend getaway. This is what we saw in July on our way out towards north entrance within the park. 

Height of the snow on the road

Crater Lake looking east

Crater Lake was a pit stop on our way to Portland,OR. From the Bay area ( San Francisco ) it is about a  7 1\2 hour drive to Crater Lake. Here is how we planned it. 2 1\2 days should be sufficient if you just have Crater Lake to explore. The Rim drive is recommended. Boating and hiking too can be done. Click here for more information on the trails.

Day 1: Stay in Medford. Small town yet close enough to the lake if your leaving the bay area on a friday night. 

Day 2: Drive to Crater lake about 1 1\2 hours from Medford.
Day 3. Return home.

Below are some pictures we took at various stops on the Rim Trail. 

Blue water in Crater Lakee

The below picture with the arrow is very unique. Do you see the small island near the arrow? Do you know how large or small and how tall it can be? The answer will surprise you..

Phantom Island

It is larger than a football field, and as tall as a 16 storeyed building. See other ways to enjoy Crater Lake click here to access the link.

A visit here is relaxing and the soothing calm blue waters do have a relaxing effect on you! On the 17th of June, 2012, many people around the world were lucky to view and photograph the Northern Lights.  Crater Lake was one are where you could see it. Click here to see GoldPaint Photography of the lake and Northern Lights. Its spectacular!

Enjoy your visit here.